The health service has warned that it will take years to repair the damage caused by misinformation campaigns as the number of girls receiving the HPV vaccine barely rose above an all-time low.

Half of eligible girls refused the cervical cancer vaccine in the 2016 and 2017 academic year. The government and a leading cancer charity warned that this will result in a minimum of 40 deaths. Another 100 girls will need life-changing treatment and 1,000 more will need invasive therapy. The drop in vaccinations has been linked with what health officials called “unsubstantiated concerns” spread by anti-vaccine groups.

The HSE has said it would not stop until all parents were persuaded to vaccinate their daughters. It is preparing an information campaign for the new…